Final Post #2: Explanation, Lesson Plans, and Reflection

“The Letter A” unit comes in a series of three internet-based lessons, with one additional day off-line, in which the both the technology and the letter A are introduced and explored. Students work both independently and in collaboration to explore concepts and produce projects that they will present to their class. Presentations will be recorded and the final culminating project will be a class podcast presenting words that use the long and short A sounds.

Students will be introduced to a number of user-friendly internet based tools that will help them build confidence in using technology while developing skills in English listening, speaking, reading, and writing. These tools are listed below:

1. Blog: Students will learn to navigate the blog and use practice their reading skills.
2. Blog Comments: Students will learn how to share their ideas with classmates and develop their writing skills.
3. Hyperlinks: Students will learn to recognize a hyperlink and understand what it does.
4. Voki: Students will learn how to use a voki player and practice their listening skills.
5. Scribd: Students will learn how to obtain documents for writing practice.
6. SlideShare: Students will learn how to use this tool to gather information by viewing images.
7. YouTube: Students will learn how to use this tool to gather information by viewing videos.
8. Printer: Students will learn how to print documents presented to them online for personal use.
   

In the embedded Scribd document below, you will find the lesson plans for this comprehensive four-day unit.



The rubric used to assess the posters that the students will create in light of the information they have gathered over the three-day unit is attached below in another Scribd document.



The value of this unit is three-fold. First, it will help emergent readers and English language learners to develop a deeper understanding of the letter A and the sounds associated with it. This is important because many English language learners have difficulty in discerning vowel sounds and pronouncing them correctly. This leads to embarrassing mistakes, miscommunications, and a loss of self-esteem. Next, the unit will serve to help foster a sense of confidence with technology in students that do not typically have access to computers or the Internet. By giving them the opportunity to adapt to these technological tools at a young age, we are equipping them with the tools they need to succeed in our modern world. And finally, the presentation day at the end of the unit will help learners to develop the confidence to speak in front of their classmates in English.

In reflection, I think this unit would be a lot of fun to try with my students next year. I feel sad knowing that, despite whatever promises are made to me, my students will most likely go through the year without the technological resources that would be needed to conduct a unit like this. Furthermore, this class has helped me realize that having access to technology in a classroom should be a right, not just a privilege. The technology gap undoubted contributes to the learning gap that my colleagues and I are struggling to fight across the city. Every child should have the right to leave this educational system equally prepared to face our modern world.